Producer's note: This article originally appeared in the Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 issue of the Journal & Courier.

Purdue University leaders sketched out a plan Thursday for campus growth that takes into account 10 initiatives designed to move the institution forward.

Officials say new development on the West Lafayette campus will concentrate on eliminating suburban "sprawl," making the campus more pedestrian-friendly, and improving the efficiency of academic and residence hall buildings to accommodate growth planned in President Mitch Daniels' "Purdue Moves" campaign.

To Ken Sandel, director of physical and capital planning, the changes will keep in mind the importance of maintaining a strong "sense of place" on campus that goes beyond such iconic structures as the Purdue Bell Tower and the sea of red brick buildings.

"There are many approaches that are underway, all of which are aimed at enhancing the quality of life," said Sandel, who noted that physical planning "reinforces a sense of community, and enhances teaching and learning," along with recruiting and retaining students and faculty.

The Purdue Moves campaign calls for expansions in plant sciences and drug discovery, along with enhancements to transformative education, more on-campus residents and improvements in STEM leadership.

To accommodate more on-campus residents, officials are thinking about where to expand residence halls. The Vawter Field housing complex is currently under construction.

"I'm really pleased with how quickly they have moved to think about expanding on-campus residential capacity," Daniels said. "I guess I'd say it won't be that long (from now). We can probably get something settled with regard to the Honors College (residential housing) fairly soon."

Forging ahead in STEM leadership takes into account a strengthening of the computer science program. Sandel said officials are "evaluating the expansion of Lawson Computer Science Building versus renovating existing space on campus."

To accommodate the College of Technology's transformation into the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, Knoy Hall will be renovated.

The "transformative" education goal, which espouses that students learn better in an interactive environment as opposed to a traditional lecture, will be aided by an Active Learning Center with 20 classrooms and proposed classroom renovations for Nelson Hall and Stewart Center.

Future academic growth on campus will likely take place close to existing academic buildings, between Third and State Streets with University and Russell Streets as the borders. Sandel said planners want to make sure students can get to and from class in 10 minutes.

"Staying compact is very important to the economics of the way we run our campus," Sandel said. "The sprawl was problematic because it put a huge strain on the 10-minute class exchange. Sticking to the 10-minute walk circle is pretty important to us."

Sandel also outlined plans to transform academic spaces to become more efficient.

Robert Frosch, associate dean of resource planning and management for the College of Engineering, said faculty and staff in the college are in desperate need of new space, and that renovation plans for older engineering buildings on campus will transform spaces into modern, efficient learning environments.

The plans addressed Thursday follow a decade of significant growth at Purdue.

In the past 10 years, the campus has grown significantly, representing more than $1 billion in new investment. Fifty-two buildings have been completed on campus since 2003; and nine currently are under construction. One project — the Active Learning Center, which will replace the Engineering Administration building — is in the planning phase.

The past 25 years, in particular, was planned with pedestrians in mind, officials said. That's something they hope to improve even more. Purdue is currently working from a 2009 Purdue University-West Lafayette campus master plan, which was completed with the help of Sasaki Associates and Scholar Corp.

"In the mid-1960s, our love affairs with our cars transformed the majority of campus into a parking lot," Sandel said. "The 1986 Master Plan returned our campus to the pedestrian. In 1984, you would not have seen anyone enjoying the sun and grassy lawn (in the academic corridor)."

Sandel also addressed Purdue's support of West Lafayette's annexation, which went into effect Thursday.

"I know many of you are curious about Purdue's decision to support annexation," Sandel said. "Rest assured, Purdue has certain powers and authority that exempt us from local ordinances ... like zoning."

Sandel cheered the fact that several roads near campus, including Indiana 126, Indiana 526, Indiana 26 and Indiana 43 now are under local control.

"We're taking our streets back, and hopefully that will have a huge impact on our campus," Sandel said.

The State Street corridor is another area that officials hope will undergo a transformation in the coming years. Plans unveiled Thursday evening at a public meeting include a network of green spaces and encouraged development of mixed-use buildings.

"State Street, for years, has been a divider for our campus," Sandel said. "An opportunity exists for us to transform State Street from a divider to a unifying feature."